Letter to the editor: Lone Pine mountain devil?

Dear Editor, I write you with an unusual request. I wish to seek comment on a reemerging phenomenon that few valley people I speak with are aware of; The Lone Pine Mountain Devil. On a recent visit to Independence, I noticed Native basket decorated with a bat like winged creature. I had been exposed to Lone Pine Devil stories through reading folk lore yet never through speaking with a local. The basket struck me as a sort of historic document and rekindled my interest.

I wonder if any of your readers know of the stories or have seen this Devil themselves. The folk lore claims that The Mountain Devil is a protector of the environment so I assume it must be extinct as I never read reports of unexplained valley carnage. In any case, the stories make for a very interesting read. They range from completely absurd to historical 19th century accounts of attacks on settlers. People who are knowledgeable about extinct species make strong comparisons to the Sinornithosaurus milleni, The isolated nature of the region somehow gives credibility to notion that these creatures could have survived extinction here. Here are some links on the topic that you may find interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Pine,_California#Lone_Pine_Mountain_Devil_folklorehttp://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Lone_Pine_Mountain_Devil Any comments or verbal history appreciated.

Best Regards, MTI

Share this:

About News Staff

We work to provide daily news to all of the Eastern Sierra, in the tradition of Eastern Sierra News Service and the Sierra Wave. We bring you daily happenings, local politics, crime, government dealings and fun stuff. Please contact us.

I heard he moved to Mammoth some years ago and tried to build some condos next to the airport. It cost a bit of money but eventually good concurred evil and the airport was saved. Rumor has it, (Isn’t that an Adel song?) he has moved on and is planning a 100 story World Ski Center at the site of the old green church. He has plenty of money and only needs a new town agreement. =

Sure DT, I know its a stretch that this thing existed, yet I am still surprised that no one has heard of the folk lore. I would think something like this would be of historical interest to people as a local folk lore story backed by a 19th to early 20th century illustration on a native basket at Eastern Sierra Museum.
There is quite a bit of info on it on line, yet very few locals have heard about it.
From Need Supply Bloghttp://blog.needsupply.com/2013/08/11/old-lone-pine/
“Among the townsfolk, the supposed existence of the legendary Lone Pine Mountain Devil is common folklore. Though no actual pictures of the creatures exist, recent years have seen a jump in Mountain Devil sightings. According to popular belief, any person or animal that “disturbs the ambiance and inner peace of its natural habitat” is attacked, or even anyone which “disrespects nature, wilderness or doubts the existence of the creature”. Significant accounts of run-ins with the Lone Pine Mountain Devil have been recorded by numerous priests.”

A common folklore around the area is the supposed existence of the legendary Lone Pine Mountain Devil. Although no real-life pictures of the creature exist, there are supposedly videos of it on YouTube. This article, however, features no substantiated evidence of this alleged animal, so what follows should be regarded as modern day myth. The animal has been featured in many recent events:

2000s

After years in decline, the new millennium has seen a sudden jump in Mountain Devil sightings. California cryptozoologists have stated that they have recorded an exponential rise between 2003 and 2010.

Guardian Of Nature

A popular belief is that the creature attacks any person or animal which disturbs the ambiance and inner peace of its natural habitat. A wider expansion of that is that any person, or animal which disrespects nature, wilderness or doubts the existence of the creature is targeted by it.

Religious Connection

Although there are no significant mentions of the creature, famous accounts of priests describing the creature themselves do exist. One early account by a priest described them “winged demons” sent from the “depths of hell.” He continues by writing: “I took refuge by myself in a small tent on the outside of the convoy watched as “winged demons” swarmed from the trees and attacked the settlers…My God. My God. They are all gone. The winged demons have risen! What sin have they committed against each other and thy sacred earth. May the forgiving Lord not abandon their souls, which were taken from them into the depths of hell! And through the earthly fires of man, a sole tree remained on the mountain’s peak. And the Devils that spared me, returned to the refuge of the Lone Pine on the Mountain.

My experience is that people who disrespect nature gets their asses kicked in any number of ways: altitude sickness, hypothermia, broken limbs, and general misfortune on multiple levels. This story plays itself out over and over again each year on Mt Whitney and throughout the Eastern Sierra to those who come to “test themselves against the mountains.”

The reason your creature has never been photographed is because it appears in a number of forms, including blinding headaches, uncontrollable nausea, debilitating fatigue, and feeling so lousy that death would be a better outcome than the suffering they’re experiencing. I’ve seen many people after wrestling with these demon for hours on Mt. Whitney. It’s a terrible sight.

Considering the history of conflict in the Owens Valley, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some pissed off spirits flying around.

If you want the native perspective, you’ll need to contact the Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone tribes individually. Good luck with that one…

Can someone explain then WHY by John Wayne rock, campsite A…when nails were removed from the cottonwood tree the tree shook violently? It did it twice…there was nothing in the tree itself. Been coming to this spot nigh on 35 yrs…that never happened before or since…